Radio resource configuration method and device, user equipment and network element

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a radio resource configuration method and apparatus, a user equipment and a network element. The radio resource configuration method includes that: a user equipment (UE) receives a message of a radio resource configuration from a first signaling radio bearer (SRB) of a first radio access technology (RAT), where the message carries information of a first configuration, and the first configuration is a configuration of a radio resource of the first RAT; and when the UE fails to configure the radio resource of the first RAT according to the information of the first configuration, the UE sends a response message of the radio resource configuration to indicate that the radio resource configuration of the first RAT fails.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications,for example, relates to a radio resource configuration method andapparatus, a user equipment and a network element.

BACKGROUND

In the era when the fourth generation (4G) communication system hasmatured, research into the fifth Generation (5G) communication systemhas been started in the field in order to seek better communicationexperience.

An E-UTRAN NodeB (eNB) is deployed in a 4G radio access network (RAN),uses a long term evolution (LTE) radio access technology (RAT) over aradio interface and accesses an evolved packet core (EPC). Differentfrom such LTE eNB, a generation NodeB (gNB) is deployed in a 5G RAN,uses a new radio (NR) RAT over the radio interface and accesses a nextgeneration core (NGC).

In order to make full use of the widely deployed LTE eNB, the industryproposes a system architecture for providing communication services fora user equipment (UE) in a manner of tight coupling and interoperationbetween an LTE eNB and an NR gNB, which is referred to as LTE-NR tightinterworking, and the UE is also referred to as a user terminal. Thetight coupling and interoperation between LTE and NR refers to that theUE can use the radio resources of the two RATs at the same time, and iscorrespondingly scheduled by the two RAT schedulers separately. The twoindependent schedulers are respectively located in two nodes in the RAN,and the two nodes are connected via an interface between ideal ornon-ideal network elements. In the core network, the UE still has onlyone connection of a control plane (CP) interface.

SUMMARY

A radio resource configuration method includes the steps describedbelow.

A UE receives a message of a radio resource configuration from a firstsignaling radio bearer (SRB) of a first RAT, where the message carriesinformation of a first configuration, and the first configuration is aconfiguration of a radio resource of the first RAT.

in response to determining that the UE fails to configure the radioresource of the first RAT according to the information of the firstconfiguration, the UE sends a response message of the radio resourceconfiguration to indicate that the radio resource configuration of thefirst RAT fails.

A radio resource configuration apparatus is configured in a UE andincludes a reception module, a configuration module and a responsemodule.

The reception module is configured to receive a message of a radioresource configuration from a first SRB of a first RAT, where themessage carries information of a first configuration, and the firstconfiguration is a configuration of a radio resource of the first RAT.

The configuration module is configured to configure the radio resourceof the first RAT according to the information of the firstconfiguration.

The response module is configured to: in response to determining thatthe configuration of the radio resource of the first RAT fails, send aresponse message of the radio resource configuration to indicate thatthe radio resource configuration of the first RAT fails.

A UE includes a memory and a processor.

The memory is configured to store program codes.

The processor is configured to read the program codes for performingfollowing processing:

-   -   receiving a message of a radio resource configuration from a        first SRB of a first RAT, where the message carries information        of a first configuration, and the first configuration is a        configuration of a radio resource of the first RAT; and    -   in response to determining that the configuration of the radio        resource of the first RAT performed according to the information        of the first configuration fails, sending a response message of        the radio resource configuration to indicate that the radio        resource configuration of the first RAT fails.

A radio resource configuration method includes the steps describedbelow.

A first network element using a first RAT receives and processes,through an SRB of the first RAT, a response message of a radio resourceconfiguration returned by, where the response message carries reportinformation about a failure of radio resource configuration of a secondRAT.

The first network element and a second network element using the secondRAT simultaneously provide a communication service for the UE over aradio interface, the first network element establishes an only controlplane interface between the UE and a core network, and the first RAT isdifferent from the second RAT.

A radio resource configuration apparatus is configured in a firstnetwork element using a first RAT) and includes a processing module.

The processing module is configured to receive and process, through anSRB of the first RAT, a response message of radio resource configurationreturned by a UE, where the response message carries report informationabout a failure of a radio resource configuration of a second RAT.

The first network element and a second network element using the secondRAT simultaneously provide a communication service for the UE over aradio interface, the first network element establishes an only controlplane interface between the UE and a core network, and the first RAT isdifferent from the second RAT.

A network element includes a memory and a processor.

The memory is configured to store program codes.

The processor is configured to read the program codes for performingfollowing processing: receiving and processing, through an SRB of afirst RAT, a response message of radio resource configuration returnedby a UE, where the response message carries report information about afailure of a radio resource configuration of a second RAT.

The network element using the first RAT and the first network elementusing a second RAT simultaneously provide a communication service forthe UE over a radio interface, and the network element establishes anonly control plane interface between the UE and a core network.

A radio resource configuration method includes the steps describedbelow.

A first network element sends a message of radio resource configurationto a UE through an SRB of a first RAT established between the firstnetwork element and the UE, where the message carries information of afirst configuration, and the first configuration is a configuration of aradio resource of the first RAT performed by the first network elementfor the UE.

The first network element receives and processes report informationabout failure of the radio resource configuration of the first RAT fromthe UE, or receives and processes a result of a radio resourcemanagement decision performed according to the report information by asecond network element.

The first network element using the first RAT and the second networkelement using a second RAT simultaneously provide a communicationservice for the UE over a radio interface, and the second networkelement establishes an only control plane interface between the UE and acore network.

A radio resource configuration apparatus is configured in a firstnetwork element using a first RAT and includes a sending module and aprocessing module.

The sending module is configured to send a message of a radio resourceconfiguration to a UE through an SRB of the first RAT establishedbetween the first network element and the UE, where the message carriesinformation of a first configuration, and the first configuration is aconfiguration of a radio resource of the first RAT performed by thefirst network element for the UE.

The processing module is configured to receive and process reportinformation about a failure of the radio resource configuration of thefirst RAT from the UE, or receive and process a result of a radioresource management decision performed according to the reportinformation by a second network element.

The first network element and the second network element using a secondRAT simultaneously provide a communication service for the UE over aradio interface, and the second network element establishes an onlycontrol plane interface between the UE and a core network.

A network element includes a memory and a processor.

The memory is configured to store program codes.

The processor is configured to read the program codes for performingfollowing processing:

-   -   sending a message of radio resource configuration to a UE        through an SRB of a first RAT established between the network        element and the UE, where the message carries information of a        first configuration, and the first configuration is a        configuration of a radio resource of the first RAT performed by        the network element for the UE; and    -   receiving and processing report information about a failure of        the radio resource configuration of the first RAT from the UE,        or receiving and processing a result of a radio resource        management decision performed according to the report        information by a first network element.

The network element using the first RAT and the first network elementusing a second RAT simultaneously provide a communication service forthe UE over a radio interface, and the second network elementestablishes an only control plane interface between the UE and a corenetwork.

A computer-readable storage medium is configured to storecomputer-executable instructions for executing any method describedabove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of acommunication system in which two network elements simultaneouslyprovide a service for a UE over a radio interface;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a radio resource configuration method at a UEside according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3A is a diagram of modules of a radio resource configurationapparatus at a UE according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3B is a structural diagram of a UE according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a radio resource configuration method at a UEside according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a radio resource configuration method at afirst network element side according to some embodiments;

FIG. 6A is a diagram of modules of a radio resource configurationapparatus in a first network element according to some embodiments;

FIG. 6B is a structural diagram of a first network element according tosome embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a radio resource configuration method at asecond network element side according to some embodiments;

FIG. 8A is a diagram of modules of a radio resource configurationapparatus in a second network element according to some embodiments;

FIG. 8B is a structural diagram of a second network element according tosome embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a signaling flow diagram of radio resource configurationaccording to some embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a signaling flow diagram of radio resource configurationaccording to some embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a signaling flow diagram of radio resource configurationaccording to some embodiments; and

FIG. 12 is a signaling flow diagram of radio resource configurationaccording to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, in a system architecture for providing acommunication service for a UE in a manner of tight coupling andinteroperation between an LTE eNB and an NR gNB, two network elementssimultaneously provide a communication service for a UE over a radiointerface. Hereinafter, a serving network element establishing an onlycontrol plane interface between the UE and a core network is referred toas a first network element, a serving network element providingadditional radio resources for the UE is referred to as a second networkelement, the first network element also establishes a user plane (UP)interface between the UE and the core network, and the UP interfacebetween the second network element and the core network is optional.

In terms of the radio interface, the first network element uses a firstRAT, such as an LTE RAT, and the second network element uses a secondRAT, such as an NR RAT. In some examples, UP data transmission isperformed between the first network element and the UE and between thesecond network element and the UE. An SRB of the first RAT isestablished between the first network element and the UE to transmitcontrol plane signaling, such as radio resource control (RRC) signaling,while an SRB of the second RAT established between the second networkelement and the UE is optional. Hereinafter, the SRB of the first RAT isalso referred to as a first SRB, and the SRB of the second RAT isreferred to as a second SRB.

From the perspective of radio resource management (RRM), the firstnetwork element is responsible for a configuration of a radio resourceof the first RAT for the UE, which is referred to as a firstconfiguration, and the second network element is responsible for aconfiguration of a radio resource of the second RAT for the UE, which isreferred to as a second configuration. The first configuration and thesecond configuration are independent of each other while satisfying acertain range (for example, the sum of the first configuration and thesecond configuration cannot exceed the radio capability of the UE).

In the related art, when a UE in the RRC Connected state cannot receivethe radio resource configuration issued by the serving network element(that is, the configuration fails), the UE triggers a resume proceduresuch as an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. However, thiscauses interruption of data transmission of the user plane, whichincreases the complexity of the UE executing the procedure and signalingtransmission load of the control plane. Even if the resume procedure issuccessfully executed, a certain time is required to resume the datatransmission over the radio interface. Therefore, how to improve theuser experience of the UE by handling the radio resource configurationfailure in the system shown in FIG. 1, such as a tight coupling andinteroperation system, is a problem.

Some embodiments relate to radio resource configuration on the UE side.

The based system architecture is referred to FIG. 1 and the descriptionthereof In some embodiments, the first network element and the secondnetwork element simultaneously provide a communication service for theUE over the radio interface in a manner of tight coupling andinteroperation, the first network element establishes an only controlplane interface between the UE and the core network, the SRB of thefirst RAT is established between the first network element and the UE,and the SRB of the second RAT is not established between the secondnetwork element and the UE. In some embodiments, the first RAT used bythe first network element is one of an LTE RAT and an NR RAT, the secondRAT used by the second network element is the other one of the LTE RATand the NR RAT, and as far as the first RAT is different from the secondRAT. In some embodiments, the first network element and the secondnetwork element are an eNB and a gNB, respectively.

An embodiment provides a radio resource configuration method. As shownin FIG. 2, the method includes steps described below.

In step 110, the UE receives a first message of radio resourceconfiguration from an SRB of a first RAT. The first message carriesinformation of a second configuration, and the second configuration is aconfiguration of a radio resource of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the first message of the radio resourceconfiguration is any message, such as an RRC connection reconfigurationmessage, for performing the radio resource configuration.

In the method embodiment, the SRB of the first RAT is an SRB establishedbetween the UE and a first network element of the first RAT, and thesecond configuration is a configuration performed by a second networkelement of the second RAT for the UE.

In some embodiments, the first message of the radio resourceconfiguration further carries information of the first configuration.The first configuration is a configuration of a radio resource of thefirst RAT performed by the first network element for the UE.

In some embodiments, the radio resource configuration method furtherincludes: when the UE successfully configures the radio resource of thefirst RAT according to the information of the first configuration, aresponse message of the radio resource configuration sent by the UEcarries indication information indicating that the radio resourceconfiguration of the first RAT is successful. In some embodiments, theindication information indicating that the radio resource configurationof the first RAT is successful and the report information indicatingthat the radio resource configuration of the second RAT fails are bothcarried in an RRC signaling. In some embodiments, the indicationinformation indicating that the radio resource configuration of thefirst RAT is successful and the report information indicating that theradio resource configuration of the second RAT fails are respectivelycarried in different RRC signalings.

In step 120, when the UE fails to configure the radio resource of thesecond RAT according to the information of the second configuration, theUE sends a response message of the radio resource configuration toindicate that the radio resource configuration of the second RAT fails.

In some embodiments, the response message of the radio resourceconfiguration described above is any message, such as an RRC connectionreconfiguration complete message, a message for secondary cell group(SCG) failure information or other RRC messages, in response to thereceived message of the radio resource configuration. In someembodiments, other RRC messages are RRC messages sent by the UE to thebase station, such as an RRC message sent by the UE to the base station(e.g., an RRC connection resume message) in the 3rd GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 38.331 V15.0.0(2017-12).

In some embodiments, the response message of the radio resourceconfiguration carries the report information about failure of the radioresource configuration of the second RAT. The report informationincludes at least one of the following information:

-   -   assistance information for assisting a network side in        reconfiguring the radio resource of the second RAT; or    -   indication information about the failure of the radio resource        configuration of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one ofthe following information: a failure cause or a configuration part whichis not able to be used in the second configuration. In some embodiments,the assistance information includes a measurement result of the UE on aradio channel of the second RAT, and at least one of the following theinformation: the failure cause or the configuration part which is notable to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the indication of the failure of the UE toconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT is an explicitindication. In some embodiments, the indication of the failure of the UEto configure the radio resource of the second RAT is an implicitindication. When the indication of the failure of the UE to configurethe radio resource of the second RAT is the explicit indication, theresponse message includes indication information indicating that theradio resource configuration of the second RAT fails. When theindication of the failure of the UE to configure the radio resource ofthe second RAT is the implicit indication, the response message does notinclude the indication information indicating that the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT fails. A network element at the networkside determines that the UE fails to configure the radio resource of thesecond RAT according to the assistance information (such as at least oneof a failure cause or a configuration part which is not able to be usedin the second configuration), or it is agreed that when the indicationinformation indicating that the radio resource configuration of thesecond RAT succeeds is not received, it is considered that the radioresource configuration of the second RAT fails.

In some embodiments, the report information about failure of the radioresource configuration of the second RAT is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the first RAT. The UE sends the response message of theradio resource configuration through the SRB of the first RAT, andreports the report information to the first network element forprocessing. In other embodiments, the report information about failureof the radio resource configuration of the second RAT is coded by usingASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT. The UE sends the response messageof the radio resource configuration through the SRB of the first RAT,carries the report information in a container of the response message,and forwards the container through the first network element to thesecond network element for processing. In some embodiments, the ASN.1corresponding to the first RAT and the ASN.1 corresponding to the secondRAT are different. When a radio resource management decision isperformed by the first network element after the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT fails, the ASN.1 corresponding to thefirst RAT is used to code the report information. When the radioresource management decision is performed by the second network elementafter the radio resource configuration of the second fails, the ASN.1corresponding to the second RAT is used to code the report information,the coded report information is carried in the container, and the firstelement directly forwards the container to the second network elementwithout any processing.

Some embodiments provide a radio resource configuration apparatusconfigured in a UE. As shown in FIG. 3A, the radio resourceconfiguration module includes: a first reception module 10, a firstconfiguration module 20, and a response module 30.

The first reception module 10 is configured to receive a message of theradio resource configuration from an SRB of a first RAT. The messagecarries information of the second configuration, the secondconfiguration is a configuration of a radio resource of the second RAT,and the first RAT is different from the second RAT.

The first configuration module 20 is configured to configure the radioresource of the second RAT according to the information of the secondconfiguration.

The response module 30 is configured to: when the configuration of theradio resource of the second RAT is performed, send a response messageof the radio resource configuration to indicate that the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT fails.

In the above embodiment, an SRB of the first RAT is an SRB establishedbetween the UE and a first network element using the first RAT, and thesecond configuration is a configuration performed by a second networkelement using the second RAT for the UE. The first network element andthe second network element simultaneously provide a communicationservice for the UE over the radio interface, and the first networkelement establishes an only control plane interface between the UE and acore network.

In some embodiments, the response message of the radio resourceconfiguration sent by the first response module carries reportinformation about failure of the radio resource configuration of thesecond RAT. The report information includes at least one of thefollowing information: assistance information for assisting a networkside in reconfiguring the radio resource of the second RAT; orindication information about the failure of the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one ofthe following information: a failure cause or a configuration part whichis not able to be used in the second configuration. In some embodiments,the assistance information includes a measurement result of the UE on aradio channel of the second RAT, and at least one of the following theinformation: the failure cause or the configuration part which is notable to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the first response module codes the reportinformation by using ASN.1 corresponding to the first RAT, sends theresponse message of the radio resource configuration through the SRB ofthe first RAT, and reports the report information to the first networkelement for processing. In other embodiments, the first response modulecodes the report information by using ASN.1 corresponding to the secondRAT, sends the response message of the radio resource configurationthrough the SRB of the first RAT, carries the report information in acontainer of the response message, and forwards the container throughthe first network element to the second network element for processing.

Some embodiments provide a UE. As shown in FIG. 3B, the UE includes afirst memory 11 and a first processor 12.

The first memory is configured to store program codes.

The first processor is configured to read the program codes forperforming following processing.

A first message of radio resource configuration is received from an SRBof a first RAT. The first message carries information of secondconfiguration, the second configuration is configuration of a radioresource of the second RAT, and the first RAT is different from thesecond RAT.

When the configuration of the radio resource of the first RAT performedaccording to the information of the first configuration fails, aresponse message of the radio resource configuration is sent to indicatethat the radio resource configuration of the first RAT fails.

In some embodiments, the response message of the radio resourceconfiguration sent by the first processor carries report informationabout failure of the radio resource configuration of the second RAT. Thereport information includes at least one of the following information:assistance information for assisting a network side in reconfiguring theradio resource of the second RAT; or indication information about thefailure of the radio resource configuration of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one ofthe following information: a failure cause or a configuration part whichis not able to be used in the second configuration. In some embodiments,the assistance information includes a measurement result of the UE on aradio channel of the second RAT, and at least one of the following theinformation: the failure cause or the configuration part which is notable to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the first processor codes the report information byusing ASN.1 corresponding to the first RAT, sends the response messageof the radio resource configuration through the SRB of the first RAT,and reports the report information to the first network element forprocessing. In other embodiments, the processor codes the reportinformation by using ASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT, sends theresponse message of the radio resource configuration through the SRB ofthe first RAT, carries the report information in a container of theresponse message, and forwards the container through the first networkelement to the second network element for processing.

The above processor may perform any process in the method embodimentsdescribed above.

With the above solutions of the above embodiments, when the UE fails toconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT, the failure will bereported in time, and a resume procedure is not triggered, and theconfiguration of the radio resource of the first RAT is not affected,thereby avoiding interruption of data transmission of the user plane,reducing complexity of the UE executing the procedure, reducingsignaling transmission load of the control plane, and improving thesystem performance.

Some embodiments relate to radio resource configuration at the UE side.

A system architecture on which these embodiments are based is basicallythe same as the system architecture in the above embodiments. Thedifference is that the SRB of the second RAT is established between thesecond network element and the UE, and that the UE receives informationof the second configuration through the SRB of the second RAT.

Some embodiments provide a radio resource configuration method. As shownin FIG. 4, the method includes steps described below.

In a step 210, a UE receives a second message of radio resourceconfiguration from an SRB of a second RAT. The second message carriesinformation of second configuration, and the second configuration is aconfiguration of a radio resource of the second RAT.

In the method embodiment, the second configuration is a configurationperformed by a second network element for the UE, the second networkelement and a first network element using a first RAT simultaneouslyprovide a communication service for the UE over a radio interface, thefirst network element establishes an only control plane interfacebetween the UE and a core network, and an SRB of the first RAT isestablished between the first network element and the UE.

In a step 220, when the UE fails to configure the radio resource of thesecond RAT according to the information of the second configuration, theUE sends a response message of the radio resource configuration toindicate that the radio resource configuration of the second RAT fails.

In some embodiments, report information about failure of the radioresource configuration of the second RAT carried in the response messageof the radio resource configuration is the same as the reportinformation in the above embodiment.

In some embodiments, the report information includes at least one of thefollowing information: assistance information for assisting a networkside in reconfiguring the radio resource of the second RAT; orindication information about the failure of the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one ofthe following information: a failure cause or a configuration part whichis not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes a measurementresult of the UE on a radio channel of the second RAT, and at least oneof the following the information: the failure cause or the configurationpart which is not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, after the radio resource configuration of thesecond RAT fails, the UE sends the report information to the firstnetwork element, and a processing decision on the report information ismade by the first network element. For example, the report informationabout failure of the radio resource configuration of the second RAT iscoded by using ASN.1 corresponding to the first RAT. The UE sends theresponse message of the radio resource configuration through the SRB ofthe first RAT, and reports the report information to the first networkelement for processing.

In some embodiments, after the radio resource configuration of thesecond RAT fails, the UE sends the report information to the secondnetwork element, and the processing decision on the report informationis made by the second network element. At this time, two differentimplementation modes exist: mode A and mode B.

In the implementation mode A, the report information about failure ofthe radio resource configuration of the second RAT is coded by usingASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT. The UE sends the response messageof the radio resource configuration through the SRB of the first RAT,carries the report information in a container of the response message,and forwards the container through the first network element to thesecond network element for processing.

In an implementation mode B, the report information about failure of theradio resource configuration of the second RAT is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the second RAT. The UE sends the response message ofthe radio resource configuration through a common control channel (CCCH)of the second RAT, and reports the report information to the secondnetwork element for processing.

In some embodiments, when the radio resource configuration of the secondRAT fails, the SRB of the second RAT established between the UE and thesecond network element cannot be used, and the SRB of the second RAT isborn on a dedicated control channel (DCCH). The UE then sends theresponse message to the second network element through a CCCH betweenthe UE and the second network element.

Some embodiments provide a radio resource configuration apparatusconfigured in a UE. Referring to FIG. 3, the radio resourceconfiguration module includes: a first reception module 10, a firstconfiguration module 20, and a response module 30.

The first reception module 10 is configured to receive a second messageof the radio resource configuration from an SRB of a second RAT. Thesecond message carries information of the second configuration, thesecond configuration is a configuration of a radio resource of thesecond RAT, and the first RAT is different from the second RAT.

The first configuration module 20 is configured to configure the radioresource of the second RAT according to the information of the secondconfiguration.

The response module 30 is configured to: when the configuration of theradio resource of the second RAT is performed, send a response messageof the radio resource configuration to indicate that the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT fails.

In the above embodiment, the SRB of the second RAT is an SRB establishedbetween the UE and a second network element using the second RAT, andthe second configuration is a configuration performed by the secondnetwork element for the UE. The second network element and a firstnetwork element using the first RAT simultaneously provide acommunication service for the UE over a radio interface, the firstnetwork element establishes an only control plane interface between theUE and a core network, and an SRB of the first RAT is establishedbetween the first network element and the UE.

In some embodiments, the response message of the radio resourceconfiguration sent by the response module 30 carries report informationabout the failure of the radio resource configuration of the second RAT.The report information includes at least one of the followinginformation: assistance information for assisting a network side inreconfiguring the radio resource of the second RAT; or indicationinformation about the failure of the radio resource configuration of thesecond RAT.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one ofthe following information: a failure cause or a configuration part whichis not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes a measurementresult of the UE on a radio channel of the second RAT, and at least oneof the following the information: the failure cause or the configurationpart which is not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the response module 30 codes the report informationby using ASN.1 corresponding to the first RAT, sends the responsemessage of the radio resource configuration through the SRB of the firstRAT, and reports the report information to the first network element forprocessing.

In other embodiments, the response module 30 codes the reportinformation by using ASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT, sends theresponse message of the radio resource configuration through the SRB ofthe first RAT, carries the report information in a container of theresponse message, and forwards the container through the first networkelement to the second network element for processing.

In another embodiment, the response module 30 codes the reportinformation by using ASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT, sends theresponse message of the radio resource configuration through a CCCH ofthe second RAT, and reports the report information to the second networkelement for processing.

Some embodiments provide a UE which includes a first memory and a firstprocessor.

The first memory is configured to store program codes.

The first processor is configured to read the program codes forperforming the following processing.

A second message of radio resource configuration is received from an SRBof a second RAT. The second message carries information of the secondconfiguration, the second configuration is a configuration of a radioresource of the second RAT, and the first RAT is different from thesecond RAT.

When the radio resource configuration of the second RAT performedaccording to the information of the second configuration fails, aresponse message of the radio resource configuration is sent to indicatethat the radio resource configuration of the second RAT fails.

In some embodiments, the response message of the radio resourceconfiguration sent by the first processor carries report informationabout failure of the radio resource configuration of the second RAT. Thereport information includes at least one of the following information:assistance information for assisting a network side in reconfiguring theradio resource of the second RAT; or indication information about thefailure of the radio resource configuration of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one ofthe following information: a failure cause or a configuration part whichis not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes a measurementresult of the UE on a radio channel of the second RAT, and at least oneof the following the information: the failure cause or the configurationpart which is not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the first processor codes the report information byusing ASN.1 corresponding to the first RAT, sends the response messageof the radio resource configuration through the SRB of the first RAT,and reports the report information to the first network element forprocessing.

In another embodiment, the first processor codes the report informationby using ASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT, sends the responsemessage of the radio resource configuration through the SRB of the firstRAT, carries the report information in a container of the responsemessage, and forwards the container through the first network element tothe second network element for processing.

In another embodiment, the first processor codes the report informationby using ASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT, sends the responsemessage of the radio resource configuration through a CCCH of the secondRAT, and reports the report information to the second network elementfor processing.

The above processor may perform any processing in the method of theabove embodiments.

With the above solutions of the above embodiments, when the UE fails toconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT, the failure will bereported in time, and a resume procedure is not triggered, and the radioresource configuration of the first RAT is not affected, therebyavoiding interruption of data transmission of the user plane, reducingcomplexity of the UE executing the procedure, reducing signalingtransmission load of the control plane, and improving the systemperformance.

Some embodiments relate to radio resource configuration at the firstnetwork element side, and the system architecture on which theseembodiments are based is the same as the system architecture in theabove embodiment.

A radio resource configuration method in these embodiments is shown inFIG. 5. The method includes steps described below.

In a step 310, a first network element using a first RAT receivesinformation of second configuration sent by a second network elementusing a second RAT. The first RAT is different from the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the information of the second configuration is sentby the second network element to the first network element via aninterface between the network elements.

In a step 320, the first network element sends a message of the radioresource configuration to the UE through an SRB of the first RAT, wherethe SRB of the first RAT is established between the first networkelement and the UE. The message carries the information of the secondconfiguration.

In some embodiments, when the first network element sends a message tothe UE by using the SRB of the first RAT, the SRB of the first RAT isconfigured as a bearer type of a master cell group (MCG). In someembodiments, when the first network element sends the message to the UEby using the SRB of the first RAT, the SRB of the first RAT isconfigured as a bearer type of MCG split. In some embodiments, when theSRB of the first RAT is configured as the bearer type of the MCG split,the first network element takes an SRB established between the secondnetwork element and the UE as one branch of the SRB of the first RAT totransmit data.

In some embodiments, the message of the radio resource configurationadopts RRC signaling, the message further includes information of thefirst configuration, and the first configuration is a configuration of aradio resource of the first RAT performed by the first element for theUE.

In a step 330, the first network element receives and processes, throughan SRB of the first RAT, a response message of radio resourceconfiguration returned by the UE. The response message of the radioresource configuration carries report information about failure of radioresource configuration of the second RAT.

The second configuration is a configuration of the radio resource of thesecond RAT performed by the second network element for the UE. The firstnetwork element and the second network element simultaneously provide acommunication service for the UE over a radio interface, and the firstnetwork element establishes an only control plane interface between theUE and a core network.

In some embodiments, the report information about the failure of theradio resource configuration of the second RAT includes at least one ofthe following information: indication information about the failure ofthe radio resource configuration of the second RAT; or assistanceinformation for assisting a network side in reconfiguring the radioresource of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one ofthe following information: a failure cause or a configuration part whichis not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes a measurementresult of the UE on a radio channel of the second RAT, and at least oneof the following the information: the failure cause or the configurationpart which is not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the message of the radio resource configurationincludes information of the first configuration, and when the UEsuccessfully configures the radio resource of the first RAT, theresponse message of the radio resource configuration further carriesindication information indicating that the radio resource configurationof the first RAT is successful.

In some embodiments, the report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the first RAT. The step in which the first networkelement receives and processes the response message of the radioresource configuration returned by the UE includes that: the firstnetwork element decodes the report information, and performs a radioresource management decision according to the report information.

In another embodiment, the report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the second RAT and the coded report information iscarried in a container of the response message. The step in which thefirst network element receives and processes the response message of theradio resource configuration returned by the UE includes that: the firstnetwork element forwards the container in the response message to thesecond network element, and after decoding the report information in thecontainer, the second network element performs the radio resourcemanagement decision according to the report information.

In some embodiments, a result of the radio resource management decisionis to release the second network element, or switch the second networkelement, or reconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT by thesecond network element. The switching of the second network elementrefers to switching the second network element (source second networkelement) currently serving the UE to another new second network element(the target second network element, also referred to as the switchedsecond network element).

In some embodiments, when the first network element performs the radioresource management decision according to the report information, if theassistance information does not include a measurement result, thedecision is performed according to the measurement result obtained inthe measurement report message received by the first network elementfrom the UE last time. In some embodiments, when the second networkelement performs the radio resource management decision according to thereport information, if the assistance information does not include ameasurement result, the decision is performed according to themeasurement result obtained in the measurement report message receivedby the second network element from the UE last time.

In some embodiments, when the result of the radio resource managementdecision is to release the second network element, the method furtherincludes that: the first network element notifies, through the SRB ofthe first RAT, the UE to release the radio resource of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, when the result of the radio resource managementdecision is to switch the second network element, the method furtherincludes that: the first network element receives information of radioresource reconfiguration of a second RAT sent by the switched secondnetwork element, and sends, through the SRB of the first RAT, theinformation to the UE.

In some embodiments, when the result of the radio resource managementdecision is to reconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT by thesecond network element, the method further includes that: the firstnetwork element receives information of radio resource reconfigurationof the second RAT sent by the second network element, and sends, throughthe SRB of the first RAT, the information to the UE.

Some embodiments provide a radio resource configuration apparatusconfigured in a first network element using a first RAT. As shown inFIG. 6, the radio resource configuration module includes: a secondreception module 40, a first sending module 50 and a first processingmodule 60.

The second reception module 40 is configured to receive information ofthe second configuration sent by a second network element using a secondRAT. The first RAT is different from the second RAT.

The first sending module 50 is configured to send a message of radioresource configuration to the UE through an SRB of the first RAT, wherethe SRB of the first RAT is established between the first sending module50 and the UE, and the message carries the information of the secondconfiguration.

The first processing module 60 is configured to receive and process,through the SRB of the first RAT, a response message of the radioresource configuration returned by the UE. The response message of theradio resource configuration carries report information about failure ofradio resource configuration of the second RAT.

The second configuration is configuration of the radio resource of thesecond RAT performed by the second network element for the UE. The firstnetwork element and the second network element simultaneously provide acommunication service for the UE over a radio interface, and the firstnetwork element establishes an only control plane interface between theUE and a core network.

In some embodiments, the report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the first RAT. The step in which the first processingmodule 60 receives and processes the response message of the radioresource configuration returned by the UE includes: decoding the reportinformation, and performing a radio resource management decisionaccording to the report information.

In another embodiment, the report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the second RAT and is carried in a container of theresponse message; and the step in which the first processing module 60receives and processes the response message of the radio resourceconfiguration returned by the UE includes: forwarding the container inthe response message to the second network element, and after decodingthe report information in the container, the second network elementperforms the radio resource management decision according to the reportinformation.

In some embodiments, a result of the radio resource management decisionis to release the second network element, or switch the second networkelement, or reconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT by thesecond network element.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a notificationmodule 70. The notification module 70 is configured to: when the resultof the radio resource management decision is to release the secondnetwork element, notify, through the SRB of the first RAT, the UE torelease the radio resource of the second RAT; when the result of theradio resource management decision is to switch the second networkelement, receive information of radio resource reconfiguration of asecond RAT sent by the switched second network element, and send,through the SRB of the first RAT, the information to the UE; and whenthe result of the radio resource management decision is to reconfigurethe radio resource of the second RAT by the second network element,receive information of radio resource reconfiguration of the second RATsent by the second network element, and send, through the SRB of thefirst RAT, the information to the UE.

Some embodiments provide a first network element including a secondmemory 21 and a second processor 22.

The second memory 21 is configured to store program codes.

The second processor 22 is configured to read the program codes forperforming following processing.

Information of second configuration sent by a second network elementusing a second RAT is received, where the first RAT is different fromthe second RAT.

A message of radio resource configuration is sent to the UE through anSRB of the first RAT, where the SRB of the first RAT is establishedbetween the first network element and the UE, and the information of thesecond configuration is carried in the message.

A response message of the radio resource configuration returned by theUE is received and processed through the SRB of the first RAT. Theresponse message of the radio resource configuration carries reportinformation about failure of radio resource configuration of the secondRAT.

The second configuration is a configuration of the radio resource of thesecond RAT performed by the second network element for the UE. The firstnetwork element using the first RAT and the second network elementsimultaneously provide a communication service for the UE over a radiointerface, and the first network element establishes an only controlplane interface between the UE and a core network.

In some embodiments, the report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the first RAT. The step in which the processor receivesand processes the response message of the radio resource configurationreturned by the UE includes: decoding the report information, andperforming a radio resource management decision according to the reportinformation.

In another embodiment, the report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the second RAT and is carried in a container of theresponse message; and the step in which the second processor receivesand processes the response message of the radio resource configurationreturned by the UE includes: forwarding the container in the responsemessage to the second network element, and after decoding the reportinformation in the container, the second network element performs theradio resource management decision according to the report information.

With the above solution, when the UE fails to configure the radioresource of the second RAT, the first network element receives andprocesses the report information in time, and the radio resourceconfiguration of the first RAT is not affected, so as to avoidinterruption of data transmission of the user plane, reduce signalingtransmission load of the control plane, and improve the systemperformance.

Some embodiments relate to radio resource configuration on a secondnetwork element side.

A system architecture on which these embodiments are based is the sameas the system architecture in the above embodiments. The difference isthat the SRB of the second RAT is established between the second networkelement and the UE, and that the second network element sendsinformation of the second configuration to the UE through the SRB of thesecond RAT.

Some embodiments provide a radio resource configuration method. As shownin FIG. 7, the method includes steps described below.

In a step 410, a second network element sends a message of radioresource configuration to a UE through an SRB of a second RAT, where theSRB of the second RAT is established between the second network elementand the UE, information of second configuration is carried in themessage, and the second configuration is a configuration of a radioresource of the second RAT performed by the second network element forthe UE.

In some embodiments, information of the first configuration is notcarried in the message of the radio resource configuration sent by thesecond network element to the UE.

In a step 420, the second network element receives and processes reportinformation about failure of the radio resource configuration of thesecond RAT from the UE, or receives and processes a result of a radioresource management decision, where the decision is performed accordingto the report information by a first network element.

The second network element using the second RAT and the first networkelement using a first RAT simultaneously provide a communication servicefor the UE over a radio interface, and the first network elementestablishes an only control plane interface between the UE and a corenetwork.

In some embodiments, the step in which the second network elementreceives and processes the report information about failure of the radioresource configuration of the second RAT from the UE includes that: thesecond network element receives, through a CCCH of the second RAT, aresponse message of the radio resource configuration returned by the UE,decodes the report information about failure of the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT carried in the response message, andperforms the radio resource management decision according to the reportinformation. The report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the second RAT.

In another embodiment, the step in which the second network elementreceives and processes the report information about failure of the radioresource configuration of the second RAT from the UE includes that: thesecond network element receives the report information about failure ofthe radio resource configuration of the second RAT, where the reportinformation is forwarded by the first network element through acontainer, decodes the report information, and then performs a radioresource management decision according to the report information. Thereport information is coded by using ASN.1 corresponding to the secondRAT.

In some embodiments, the second network element receives and processesthe result of the radio resource management decision, where the decisionis performed by the first network element according to the reportinformation. The radio resource management decision is initiated afterthe first network element receives and decodes the report informationabout failure of the radio resource configuration of the second RAT sentby the UE, and the report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the first RAT.

In some embodiments, the result of the radio resource managementdecision is to release the second network element, or switch the secondnetwork element, or reconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT bythe second network element.

In some embodiments, when the result of the radio resource managementdecision is to reconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT by thesecond network element, the method further includes that: the secondnetwork element performs radio resource reconfiguration of the secondRAT, sends information of the radio resource reconfiguration of thesecond RAT to the UE through a CCCH of the second RAT, or forwards theinformation of the radio resource reconfiguration of the second RAT tothe UE through the first network element.

In some embodiments, if the result of the radio resource managementdecision is to release the second network element, a decision makernotifies the UE of releasing the radio resource of the second RAT. Insome embodiments, if the result of the radio resource managementdecision is to switch the second network element, the switched secondnetwork element sends information of the radio resource reconfigurationof the second RAT to the UE directly or through the first networkelement.

In some embodiments, the report information includes at least one of thefollowing information: indication information about the failure of theradio resource configuration of the second RAT; or assistanceinformation for assisting a network side in reconfiguring the radioresource of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes at least one ofthe following information: a failure cause or a configuration part whichis not able to be used in the second configuration.

In some embodiments, the assistance information includes a measurementresult of the UE on a radio channel of the second RAT, and at least oneof the following the information: the failure cause or the configurationpart which is not able to be used in the second configuration.

Some embodiments provide a radio resource configuration apparatusconfigured in a second network element using a second RAT. As shown inFIG. 8, the radio resource configuration module includes: a secondsending module 80 and a second processing module 90.

The second sending module 80 is configured to send a message of radioresource configuration to a UE through an SRB of a second RAT, where theSRB of the second RAT is established between the second network elementand the UE, information of second configuration is carried in themessage, and the second configuration is a configuration of a radioresource of the second RAT performed by the second network element forthe UE.

The second processing module 90 is configured to receive and processreport information about failure of the radio resource configuration ofthe second RAT from the UE, or receive and process a result of a radioresource management decision performed according to the reportinformation by a first network element.

The second network element using the second RAT and the first networkelement using a first RAT simultaneously provide a communication servicefor the UE over a radio interface, and the first network elementestablishes an only control plane interface between the UE and a corenetwork.

In some embodiments, the step in which the second processing module 90receives and processes the report information about failure of the radioresource configuration of the second RAT from the UE includes:receiving, through a CCCH of the second RAT, a response message of theradio resource configuration returned by the UE, decoding the reportinformation about failure of the radio resource configuration of thesecond RAT carried in the response message, and performing the radioresource management decision according to the report information. Thereport information is coded by using ASN.1 corresponding to the secondRAT.

In another embodiment, the step in which the second processing module 90receives and processes the report information about failure of the radioresource configuration of the second RAT from the UE includes: receivingthe report information about failure of the radio resource configurationof the second RAT, where the report information is forwarded by thefirst network element, decoding the report information, and thenperforming a radio resource management decision according to the reportinformation. The report information is coded by using ASN.1corresponding to the second RAT.

In some embodiments, a result of the radio resource management decisionis to release the second network element, or switch the second networkelement, or reconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT by thesecond network element.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a reconfigurationmodule 100. The reconfiguration module 100 is configured to: when theresult of the radio resource management decision is to reconfigure theradio resource of the second RAT by the second network element, performradio resource reconfiguration of the second RAT, send information ofthe radio resource reconfiguration of the second RAT to the UE through aCCCH of the second RAT, or forward the information of the radio resourcereconfiguration of the second RAT to the UE through the first networkelement.

Some embodiments provide a second network element including a thirdmemory 31 and a third processor 32.

The third memory 31 is configured to store program codes.

The third processor 32 is configured to read the program codes forperforming following processing.

A message of radio resource configuration is sent to a UE through an SRBof a second RAT, where the message is established between the secondnetwork element and the UE, the information of second configuration iscarried in the message, and the second configuration is a configurationof a radio resource of the second RAT performed by the second networkelement for the UE.

Report information about failure of the radio resource of the second RATis received from the UE and is processed, or a result of a radioresource management decision performed according to the reportinformation by a first network element is received and processed.

The second network element using the second RAT and the first networkelement using a first RAT simultaneously provide a communication servicefor the UE over a radio interface, and the first network elementestablishes an only control plane interface between the UE and a corenetwork.

In some embodiments, the step in which the third processor receives andprocesses the report information about failure of the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT from the UE includes: receiving, througha CCCH of the second RAT, a response message of the radio resourceconfiguration returned by the UE, decoding the report information aboutfailure of the radio resource configuration of the second RAT carried inthe response message, and performing the radio resource managementdecision according to the report information. The report information iscoded by using ASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT.

In another embodiment, the step in which the third processor receivesand processes the report information about failure of the radio resourceconfiguration of the second RAT from the UE includes: receiving thereport information about failure of the radio resource configuration ofthe second RAT, where the report information is forwarded by the firstnetwork element, decoding the report information, and then performing aradio resource management decision according to the report information.The report information is coded by using ASN.1 corresponding to thesecond RAT.

With the above solution, when the UE fails to configure the radioresource of the second RAT, the second network element receives andprocesses the report information or the decision result in time andperforms corresponding processing, so as to avoid interruption of datatransmission of the user plane, reduce signaling transmission load ofthe control plane, and improve the system performance.

A signaling flow of radio resource configuration is described in theembodiments described below.

In some embodiments, a first network element using a first RAT and asecond network element using a second RAT over a radio interface providea communication service for a UE in a manner of tight coupling andinteroperation. The first network element establishes a control planeinterface between the UE and a core network. An SRB (first SRB) isestablished between the UE and the first network element over the radiointerface to perform transmission of control plane signaling. In someembodiments, data transmission of the user plane is further performedbetween the UE and the first network element, and only data transmissionof the user plane is performed between the UE and the second networkelement.

The flow of a radio resource configuration method in some embodiments isas shown in FIG. 9. The method includes steps described below.

In a step 101, according to a configuration requirement of a radioresource, a second network element sends the second configuration to afirst network element via an interface between network elements when thesecond network element performs the second configuration on the radioresource of the second RAT used by the UE. The second configuration iscoded by using ASN.1 corresponding to the second RAT, and may be carriedin a container of a message of the interface between the networkelements. In some embodiments, the configuration requirement of theradio resource is made by the second network element according to aradio resource management decision of the second network element itself.In some embodiments, the configuration requirement of the radio resourceis made according to a request message received from the first networkelement.

In a step 102, after receiving the second configuration, the firstnetwork element generates a corresponding RRC signaling, such as an RRCconnection reconfiguration message. In some embodiments, the RRCconnection reconfiguration message includes a first configurationperformed by the first network element on a radio resource of the firstRAT used by the UE. In some embodiments, the first configuration codedby using ASN.1 corresponding to the first RAT is relatively independentof the second configuration. In some embodiments, the firstconfiguration coded by using the ASN.1 corresponding to the first RAThas a correlation with the second configuration. The first networkelement sends the RRC connection reconfiguration message to the UEthrough a first SRB.

In a step 103, after the UE receives the RRC connection reconfigurationmessage, the UE performs radio resource configuration of the first RATand radio resource configuration of the second RAT respectivelyaccording to the first configuration and the second configurationcarried in the message. If the UE successfully configures the radioresource of the first RAT and fails to configure the radio resource ofthe second RAT, the UE indicates at least information that the UEsuccessfully configures the radio resource of the first RAT in RRCsignaling (such as the RRC connection reconfiguration complete message),where the RRC signaling is replied to the first network element. Theinformation is coded by using first ASN.1.

In some embodiments, the RRC connection reconfiguration complete messagefurther carries information indicating that the UE fails to configurethe radio resource of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the RRC connection reconfiguration complete messagefurther carries assistance information. The assistance informationincludes at least one of: the reason why the UE failed to configure theradio resource of the second RAT; the radio resource that cannot beconfigured; or the radio resources that cannot be configured.

In some embodiments, the assistance information further includes aresult obtained by the UE performing measurement according tomeasurement configuration of the second RAT performed by the firstnetwork element.

Indication information indicating that the UE fails to configure theradio resource of the second RAT and the assistance information arecoded by using the first ASN.1.

In some embodiments, the indication information indicating that the UEfails to configure the radio resource of the second RAT and theassistance information are only carried in a message for SCG failureinformation. In some embodiments, the indication information and theassistance information are only carried in an RRC message sent by the UEto a base station, such as an RRC message (e.g., an RRC connectionresume message) in 3GPP TS 38.331 V15.0.0 (2017-12) sent by the UE tothe base station.

In a step 104, after the first network element receives the indicationinformation indicating that the UE fails to configure the radio resourceof the second RAT, the first network element performs a radio resourcemanagement decision. A result of the decision is to release the secondnetwork element, or switch the second network element from a sourcesecond RAT node to a target node, or notify the second network elementof performing radio resource reconfiguration of the second RAT. In someembodiments, a procedure for releasing the second network element orswitching the second network element is with reference to the standard3GPP TS 37.340.

In some embodiments, when the assistance information is included in theRRC signaling replied by the UE, the first network element performs adecision with reference to the assistance information; and if themeasurement result is not included in the assistance information, thefirst network element performs a decision with reference to themeasurement result last received from the UE. In some embodiments, inthe procedure that the first network element notifies the second networkelement to perform the radio resource reconfiguration of the second RAT,the first network element sends the assistance information to the secondnetwork element.

The system architecture on which some embodiments are based is the sameas the system architecture of the embodiment where FIG. 9 is located. Aradio resource configuration method in the embodiment is as shown inFIG. 10, and the method includes the steps described below.

Steps 201 and 202 are the same as steps 101 and 102 in the aboveembodiment, sending of RRC signaling by the first network element, andreception and configuration performed by the UE are as illustrated inthe embodiment of FIG. 9.

In a step 203, the UE codes the indication information, indicating thatthe UE fails to configure the radio resource of the second RAT, and theassistance information in the response message by using the secondASN.1. In some embodiments, the indication information and theassistance information coded by using the second ASN.1 are carried in acontainer in RRC signaling replied by the UE to the first networkelement, where the indication information indicates that the UE fails toconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, if a measurement result is included in theassistance information, the measurement result is a result obtained bythe UE performing measurement according to measurement configuration ofthe second network element.

In a step 204, after the first network element receives the RRCsignaling from the UE, the first network element does not interpret andmake a corresponding decision on a container related to the second RATand carried in the signaling, but transmits the container to the secondnetwork element via an interface between network elements.

In a step 205, after the second network element receives the container,the second network element performs a radio resource management decisionrelated to the second RAT according to information indicated in thecontainer. In some embodiments, the radio resource management decisionis to release the second network element. In some embodiments, the radioresource management decision is to switch to a target second RAT node.In some embodiments, the radio resource management decision is toreconfigure the radio resource of the second RAT. In some embodiments, aprocedure for releasing the second network element or switching thesecond network element triggered by the second network element is withreference to the standard 3GPP TS 37.340.

In some embodiments, if the assistance information is included in thecontainer, the second network element makes a decision with reference tothe assistance information; and if the measurement result is notincluded in the assistance information, the second network element makesa decision with reference to a measurement result obtained last time.

In some embodiments, when a result of the radio resource managementdecision of the second network element is to reconfigure the radioresource of the second RAT, the second network element sendsreconfiguration (referred to as second reconfiguration) of the radioresource of the second RAT used by the UE to the first network elementvia the interface between network elements, and corresponding RRCsignaling is generated by the first network element and is sent to theUE through the first SRB. In some embodiments, if the first SRB isconfigured as a bearer type of MCG split, the RRC signaling is born on aMCG split (split SRB) to be sent to the UE.

In some embodiments, a first network element using a first RAT and asecond network element using a second RAT over a radio interface providea communication service for a UE in a manner of tight coupling andinteroperation. The first network element establishes a control planeinterface between the UE and a core network. SRBs (a first SRB and asecond SRB) are respectively established between the UE and the firstnetwork element and between the UE and the second network element overthe radio interface to perform transmission of control plane signaling.Meanwhile, data transmission of the user plane is performed between theUE and the first network element and between the UE and the secondnetwork element.

The flow of a radio resource configuration method in some embodiments isas shown in FIG. 11. The method includes steps described below.

In a step 301, according to a configuration requirement of the radioresource, when the second network element performs a secondconfiguration on the radio resource of the second RAT used by the UE,corresponding RRC signaling (such as an RRC connection reconfigurationmessage) for the second configuration is generated by the second networkelement, and is sent to the UE through the second SRB. The secondconfiguration is coded by using the second ASN.1, and has no immediateimpact on the radio resource of the first RAT used by the UE.

In a step 302, after the UE receives the RRC connection reconfigurationmessage, the UE performs configuration on the radio resource of thesecond RAT according to the second configuration carried in the message.If the UE fails to perform the configuration, the UE replies a controlplane message to the second network element. The control plane messagecarries information indicating that the UE fails to perform the secondconfiguration.

In some embodiments, the control plane message further carriesassistance information. The assistance information includes at least oneof: the reason why the UE failed to perform the second configuration,which one of the second configurations that cannot be performed; orwhich part of the second configuration that cannot be performed. In someembodiments, the assistance information further includes a resultobtained by the UE performing measurement according to the measurementconfiguration of the second network element.

Indication information, indicating that the UE fails to perform thesecond configuration, and the assistance information are coded by usingthe second ASN.1.

In some embodiments, the control plane message is an RRC connectionreconfiguration complete message, or a message for SCG failureinformation, or other RRC signaling. In some embodiments, the other RRCsignaling is RRC signaling sent by the UE to the base station, such asRRC signaling (e.g., RRC connection resume signaling) in 3GPP TS 38.331V15.0.0 (2017-12) sent by the UE to the base station.

The control plane message is reported to the second network elementthrough a CCCH of the second RAT.

In some embodiments, the control plane message is reported to the firstnetwork element through the first SRB, and then forwarded by the firstnetwork element to the second network element through a message of theinterface between the network elements. In the transmission path, theindication information indicating that the UE fails to perform thesecond configuration and the assistance information are carried in thecontrol plane message and the container of the message of the interfacebetween the network elements.

In a step 303, after the second network element receives the indicationinformation indicating that the UE fails to perform the secondconfiguration, the second network element performs a radio resourcemanagement decision related to the second RAT. The decision result andthe basis are the same as those described in the step 203.

The system architecture on which some embodiments are based is the sameas the system architecture of the embodiment where FIG. 11 is located.The flow of a method in these embodiments is as shown in FIG. 12, andthe method includes steps described below.

The step 401 is the same as the step 301.

In a step 402, the coding form of the indication information indicatingthat the UE fails to perform the second configuration and the assistanceinformation is performed by the UE, and the indication informationindicating that the UE fails to perform the second configuration and theassistance information are coded by using the first ASN.1. The UEreports the control plane message to the first network element throughthe first SRB.

In a step 403, the radio resource management decision made by the firstnetwork element after the control plane message is received is the sameas the decision described in the step 104.

In the system architecture of the above embodiment, and when the UEcannot receive the second radio resource configuration corresponding tothe second network element, the influence on the first radio resourceconfiguration corresponding to the first network element and theprocedures such as reestablishment of the radio interface are avoidedthrough the above solution, thereby avoiding interruption of datatransmission of the user plane, reducing complexity of the UE executingthe procedure, reducing signaling transmission load of the controlplane, and improving the system performance.

In some embodiments, all or part of the steps of the method, andfunctional modules or units in the system and apparatus disclosed aboveare implemented as software, firmware, hardware and appropriatecombinations thereof. In the hardware implementation, the division offunctional modules or units mentioned in the above description may notcorrespond to the division of physical components. For example, onephysical component may have multiple functions, or one function or stepmay be executed jointly by one or more physical components. In someembodiments, some or all components are implemented as software executedby processors such as central processing units, digital signalprocessors or microcontrollers, hardware, or integrated circuits such asapplication specific integrated circuits.

In some embodiments, the above software is distributed on acomputer-readable medium, which may include a computer storage medium(or a non-transitory medium) and a communication medium (or a transitorymedium). The computer storage medium includes volatile and nonvolatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information (such as computer-readableinstructions, data structures or program modules).

The computer-storage medium includes, but is not limited to, arandom-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, orother memory technologies, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), adigital video disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage, a magneticcassette, a magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storageapparatuses, or any other medium used to store the desired informationand accessible by a computer. The communication medium generallyincludes computer-readable instructions, data structures, programmodules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier orother transport mechanisms. In some embodiments, the communicationmedium includes any information delivery medium.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The radio resource configuration method and apparatus, the userequipment and the network element avoid the phenomenon of datatransmission interruption of a user plane and improve the systemperformance.

1. (canceled)
 2. A radio resource configuration method, comprising:receiving, by a user equipment (UE), a message of a radio resourceconfiguration from a first signaling radio bearer (SRB) of a first radioaccess technology (RAT), wherein the message carries information of afirst configuration, and the first configuration is a configuration of aradio resource of the first RAT; and in response to determining that theUE fails to configure the radio resource of the first RAT according tothe information of the first configuration, sending, by the UE, aresponse message of the radio resource configuration to indicate afailure of the radio resource configuration of the first RAT, wherein:the response message comprises assistance information which includes ameasurement result of the UE on a radio channel of the first RAT, and afailure cause, and sending the response message comprises sending theresponse message through a second SRB and reporting the assistanceinformation to a second network element.
 3. The radio resourceconfiguration method of claim 2, wherein the first SRB is establishedbetween the UE and a first network element of the first RAT; the firstconfiguration is a configuration performed by the first network elementfor the UE; the first network element and the second network element ofa second RAT simultaneously provide a communication service for the UEover a radio interface; the second network element establishes an onlycontrol plane interface between the UE and a core network; the secondSRB of the second RAT is established between the second network elementand the UE; and the first RAT is different from the second RAT.
 4. Theradio resource configuration method of claim 2, wherein the responsemessage of the radio resource configuration comprises a message forsecondary cell group (SCG) failure information.
 5. A user equipment(UE), comprising a memory and a processor, wherein: the memory isconfigured to store program codes; and the processor is configured toexecute the program codes to perform: receiving a message of a radioresource configuration from a first signaling radio bearer (SRB) of afirst radio access technology (RAT), wherein the message carriesinformation of a first configuration, and the first configuration is aconfiguration of a radio resource of the first RAT; and in response todetermining that the configuration of the radio resource of the firstRAT performed according to the information of the first configurationfails, sending a response message of the radio resource configuration toindicate a failure of the radio resource configuration of the first RAT,wherein: the response message comprises assistance information whichincludes a measurement result of the UE on a radio channel of the firstRAT, and a failure cause, and sending the response message comprisessending the response message through a second SRB and reporting theassistance information to a second network element.
 6. Acomputer-readable storage medium, which is configured to storecomputer-executable instructions for executing the resourceconfiguration method of claim
 2. 7. A computer-readable storage medium,which is configured to store computer-executable instructions forexecuting the resource configuration method of claim
 3. 8. Acomputer-readable storage medium, which is configured to storecomputer-executable instructions for executing the resourceconfiguration method of claim
 4. 9. The UE of claim 5, wherein: thefirst SRB is established between the UE and a first network element ofthe first RAT; the first configuration is a configuration performed bythe first network element for the UE; the first network element and thesecond network element of a second RAT simultaneously provide acommunication service for the UE over a radio interface; the secondnetwork element establishes an only control plane interface between theUE and a core network; the second SRB of the second RAT is establishedbetween the second network element and the UE; and the first RAT isdifferent from the second RAT.
 10. The UE of claim 5, wherein theresponse message of the radio resource configuration comprises a messagefor secondary cell group (SCG) failure information